The Return of Captain N
by Kota Magic
Summary: Captain N: The Game Master ---- Years after returning home, Kevin is once again summoned to Videoland to save it from a familiar, but deadlier foe.
1. Memories

**The Return of Captain N: The Game Master**

**Part 1**

"We'll miss you, Kevin." said Princess Lana sadly. "And we'll never forget you either!" 

"It mega-stinks to see you go, Captain N." Mega Man brushed a drop of oil from his eye. 

"You were our best friend-icus!" Kid Icarus' wings drooped. Duke attempted to cheer him up with a few licks to the face, but it was apparent it wasn't working. 

"Even I'm a little sad to see you go, Kevin." Simon Belmont extended his gloved hand and shook Kevin's. 

"I'll think of you guys every time I play a video game," Kevin gave the best smile he could muster. "And that's all the time!" 

Picking up Duke, Kevin glanced one last time at his Nintendo friends before hopping into the Ultimate Warp Zone and returning home, probably forever... 

***************************************

"Kevin!" a certain someone's mother called from the kitchen. "I thought I told you to take out the trash! Don't make me come up there!" 

Kevin sighed as he reluctantly set down his N64 controller and reached for his jacket. As he did so, he glanced up at the old Nintendo games sitting idly on the bookcase. It had been many years since his adventures in Videoland had come to a melancholy end, and the sight of his old game cartridges only made him feel worse. 

He had tried to move on, buying himself the newer system, the N64, to take his mind off of the friends he would never see again, but it didn't help. Mega Man games were now Mega Man X and Castlevania had gone three-dimensional. It seemed that the more he tried to put the past behind him, the more it turned up in his face. 

Kevin trudged downstairs with his dog, Duke, in tow. He took out the trash, then paused, staring down at the dog. 

"Duke?" he asked. "Do you ever think about Videoland anymore?" 

"Rowf!" Duke nodded, his ears perking up at the name of the unforgettable universe, then drooping at the sad expression on his master's face. 

"I'd love more than anything to go back there, Duke." Kevin pet the animal on the head. " But I don't know how. Only the Ultimate Warp Zone can take me there." 

Kevin returned to his room and plopped himself down in front of his TV like always. He put Conker's Bad Fur Day into the system and picked up where he had left off. It was the only game that didn't remind him of his video game friends, but he knew that he'd get sick of the potty-mouthed squirrel sooner or later. 

The TV began to fuzz up. Kevin rapped it a few times on the side to fix it. It was the same television set he had been sucked into Videoland through all those years ago, and it seemed to fuzz up more and more as time went on. Even Duke would sometimes give it several kicks to help his master out. Sometimes Kevin wished it would fizzle out and show Princess Lana and the others trying to reach him again, but it never happened. He set down the controller and rested his head in his hands. 

His mother came in and saw him upset. 

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked. 

"I was just thinking about Videoland again." He sighed. 

"Kevin…" she shook her head. "You know as well as I do that there's no such place as Videoland. I don't know where you went all that time that you were away, but a world full of video game characters? Kevin, that's just not possible." 

"I've told you, mom, this place is real!" Kevin looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true! Mega Man, Princess Lana, Kid Icarus, Simon Belmont… it was all real!" 

No matter how hard she had tried over the years, Kevin's mother could not convince her son that the experience of Videoland had all been just some crazy dream he had had. At first, she just laughed, too relieved that her son had come back alive from wherever he had been. But as Kevin continued to insist that he had been in a world full of video game characters, she became concerned and had taken him to see a psychiatrist. The visits had proved fruitless, though, and even the psychiatrist seemed convinced that Kevin was telling the truth. After that, she had simply given up. 

"Get some sleep, Kevin." She sighed. "You have school tomorrow." 

*******************************************

Somewhere in the Palace of Power, a lone woman sat staring sadly into her boudoir mirror. A tear rolled down her face as she picked up a framed picture sitting beside her. There she stood, Princess Lana of Videoland, and the hero, Captain N, by her side. Simon Belmont was slicking his hair back as always while Mega Man gave a peace sign to the camera. Kid Icarus was smiling broadly as he sat comfortably on Duke's back. The dog was letting his tongue hang out as he barked happily. Game Boy had the word 'Smile' pixilated across his screen. 

Princess Lana set the picture down and cried. After Kevin had left, everyone except Simon Belmont had left for his or her own respective worlds. Simon had continued to flirt with the princess for awhile, but without Captain N as his mental rival for her affections, he too, returned to his proper realm. 

The door to her chamber opened, and the person entering was clad in thick, magma-red armor. The individual removed the heavy helmet, revealing a woman with long, curly, blonde hair. The princess looked up from her sobbing. 

"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" the armored woman said softly. 

"Samus…" the princess uttered as she wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry… I can't help it… I miss Kevin…" 

"I know you do." Samus rested a comforting hand on Lana's shoulder. "Had I met him, I'd probably miss him as much as you do. I just wish there was something I could do to help." 

"It's not your fault." Lana sniffled. "It's nobody's fault. He came to save Videoland, and that's just what he did. I know he wanted to stay, but he wanted to go home too." 

"I bet more than anything you'd just love it if the Ultimate Warp Zone were to open up again." said Samus. "But unfortunately, the only way that's gonna happen is if trouble starts up again here in Videoland, and we know that can't happen. Mother Brain and her lackeys are long gone." 

Princess Lana broke down into tears again. Samus felt guilty about bringing up old memories, but remembered why she had come in the first place. 

"Hey," she smiled weakly. "You've got a visitor who's come to cheer you up." 

Lana stopped her crying for a moment and stared up at Samus inquisitively. The bounty huntress made a gesture to the open door. A yellow, mouse-like creature with a lightening bolt for a tail hopped in and looked up at the princess. Samus gently picked the animal up and set it on her friend's lap. 

"Pikachu?" the creature piped. 

"Aren't you cute?" Princess Lana managed to crack a hint of a smile as she pet the pokémon between its ears. 

The pocket monster made an attempt to smile in hopes that the princess would do the same, but it was no use. No one in all of Videoland could liven Princess Lana's spirits. The only person that could wasn't there. 

***********************************

"I am the Great Mighty Poo…" sang the dung pile in Kevin's game. The gamer laughed lightly at the action going on in the game as his on-screen character grimaced in disgust. Duke cocked his head to one side, wondering what an enormous turd was doing singing opera in a video game. 

The screen fuzzed again, and Kevin sighed, annoyed as he reached over and tapped the TV again. It was the third time it had happened in the last 10 minutes, and the boy was starting to get rather irritated by it. Duke contributed to the effort, lightly kicking the opposite side of the TV set. The fuzzing cleared out a bit, but failed to disappear completely. Kevin just shook his head in dismay; as soon as he saved up enough money, he was going to have to get himself a new set. 

***********************************

By a river in Hyrule, a Zora fell lifeless to the ground, its mouth open in a permanent, silent scream. A tall, dark, shadowy figure sheathed its bloodstained sword as it snickered evilly and continued on its way. No one would know its sinister intentions until it was too late to stop them. Ahead of it, a cuckoo crowed as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the cliffs of Death Mountain. 

********************************

"Hey, Your Highness!" a rather pumped-up fellow in racing attire strut into the princess's room. "What's gonna be on the table toni-" 

Captain Falcon cut himself off as he took note of the melancholy scene before him. Samus glanced over her shoulder at him, giving him a cold look for being so rude at a time like this. Even Pikachu, who had been trying to get the princess to stop crying, glared at the newcomer, his cheeks sparking with electricity. 

"Whoa!" the racer put up his hand defensively. "Did I come at a bad time?" 

"I'll say ya did, you inconsiderate jerk!" Samus cracked her knuckles threateningly. 

"No," Lana sniffled as she wiped more tears from her eyes. "It's ok. What is it, Captain Falcon?" 

"Well, I was just coming by to let you know that there's a messenger from Hyrule here to see you, Your Majesty." Falcon stepped back. "It's kinda urgent." 

"I'll be out in a minute." the princess replied. 

*************************************

Kevin growled as he repeatedly pounded on the TV. The fuzzing refused to go away, and everything he tried to fix the problem wasn't working. Duke chipped in as well, kicking the television harder. The sound was starting to go as well, making Sloprano's singing difficult to make out. What Kevin failed to notice were the little sparks emanating from the wires connecting the N64 to his TV set. 

*************************************

"It's the fifth murder that's occurred this week, Your Highness." Said the messenger as he bowed low before the princess. 

"What could be going on?" Samus blinked as she let the new information set in. 

"Pikachu…?" the yellow pokémon shared her confusion. 

"Is there any way of knowing who could have done this?" Lana asked worriedly. 

"No, Your Majesty." the messenger shook he head. "The Hero of Time has looked everything over carefully, but could not decipher who could have done these terrible deeds." 

Princess Lana bit her lip nervously. It had been ages since there had been any major trouble in Videoland, and this new threat had her worried. Since even before he had been appointed captain of the army of Hyrule, Link had shown a great deal of skill in dealing in matters such as these. The few lingering monsters that inhabited the countryside after Gannon's demise were nothing that Link couldn't handle on his own, so what could be causing these murders? A chill shot up Lana's spine, making her twitch. 

"Are you alright, Princess?" Samus asked. 

"I'm ok…" Lana nodded. "Just thinking about those poor people…" 

A blood-curdling scream was silenced abruptly just outside the throne room doors. The door was kicked open, the tall, sinister person stepping in with his blade dripping fresh blood. He grinned smugly at the onlookers before him. The color drained from everyone's faces as they recognized the villain. 

"It's not possible!" the princess whispered in terror. 

**************************************

Kevin glared angrily at his still-fuzzing television set. Despite countless efforts, the set refused to work properly. Even Duke, who had rapped on it repeatedly, was laying down in defeat next to his owner. Kevin was about to hit the set again when Duke suddenly jumped up and barked at the screen. 

"What is it, Duke?" Kevin stared at the screen intently. 

The fuzzing seemed to be clearing out, but not into the images of the game. As Kevin squinted to see through the blurring white, he felt Duke nudge him with something, then bark wildly again. Looking down, Kevin saw that the dog had retrieved his Nintendo Zapper. Immediately whipping his attention back to the TV screen, Kevin saw a scene unfold before his eyes as the white disappeared completely. 

Princess Lana was sitting terrified on her throne as what appeared to be Samus, Pikachu, and some other character were facing something horrible out of view. 

"PRINCESS LANA!??" Kevin cried incredulously. 

The screen quickly fuzzed from a white mess into beams of light that reached out and took a hold of him. Too startled to struggle, Kevin and Duke were pulled into the television set and out of sight. In complete silence, the TV fizzled once, then completely shut off. 

~~~~~~~~~

How's this for a start? Some of you out there must be saying to yourselves, "Oh no! She started another one! When is she gonna finish her other fics?" Rest assured that I haven't forgotten about my unfinished works. Now that I'm currently on vacation, I've not only got all the time in the world, but the inspiration too! Get ready to see some major updates with this fic as well as my other ones.

As usual, like it or hate it, please let me know!!!! It really helps to know what you readers think! I'm serious!


	2. Back in Videoland

**The Return of Captain N**

**Part 2**

"Gannondorf!" cried Princess Lana. 

"Well, well, well!" Samus hissed as she aimed her blaster at the murderer before them. "This little piggy ain't so little any more!" 

"Princess Lana, it's been awhile." snickered Gannondorf. "You and that Captain N boy thought you'd seen the last of me after the little Potion of Power incident, didn't you?" 

"How did you get enough power to escape?" the princess demanded. 

"Pikachu!" the electric mouse stepped forward to add to the group's threat. 

"Do you recall the last time Video Land was 'upgraded,' princess?" the fiend smirked. 

"What of it?" the princess glared.

"Every world here in Videoland was affected by it." Gannondorf explained. "And Hyrule was no exemption." 

"I get it." Said Samus. "When the whole place got powered up, so was everyone in it!" 

"Pretty smart for a bounty huntress." Gannondorf snorted. 

"Watch it, pig-face!" Samus clenched her teeth and took better aim at him. 

"So what's your plan now?" glared Captain Falcon. 

"Well, I figured that with no Mother Brain or foolish game master around, the Palace of Power was free for the taking!" 

"Not while we're around!" Samus fired a shot dead on at the wizard. Gannondorf just smirked as he wielded his sword and easily deflected the shot right back at Samus. Too shocked to move, the bounty huntress was hit directly by her own blast and knocked unconscious. 

"Samus!" Princess Lana rushed to her friend's side. Samus was still very much alive, but she would be out like a light for a while. 

"Now," Gannondorf stepped forward. "Relinquish the throne of Videoland to me or suffer the consequences!" 

"Never!" the princess retorted. 

"You're gonna have to get by all of us first!" cried Captain Falcon as he raced at Gannondorf, his fist flaring. "FALCON PUNCH!" 

The blow connected with the villain's chest, but aside from having to take a step back, Gannondorf was unharmed. 

"Is that the best you've got, Falcon?" the wizard snickered. Captain Falcon glanced up at him in shock as the fiend's mighty hand came at him and belted him across the room. The racer slammed hard into the wall and fell into a heap. 

"FALCON!" Lana screamed. 

"Now, if you're little army has had enough…" Gannondorf began. 

"PIKACHU!!!!!" the electric mouse unleashed a powerful Thunder attack that could shame a Raichu. When the sparks died down and the pokémon was able to look, Gannondorf simply stood there, grinning at him. 

"My, my, did I scuff my boots on the carpet?" the wizard faked a yawn. "Perhaps I should be more… CAREFUL!" 

Too exhausted and drained to dodge, Pikachu was slapped carelessly out of the way and into an unconscious Captain Falcon. Gannondorf looked around, pleased at not seeing anyone else to interfere with him. 

"Looks like your luck has run out, Princess." Gannondorf stepped up to her menacingly. "Hand over the throne and I might let you live… in the dungeon!" 

"Not a chance!" she retorted. 

"Fine… have it YOUR WAY!" Gannondorf reared back with his sword, aiming to bring it down on the Princess's head. 

"KEVIN!!!!!!" Lana screamed as the blade came at her. 

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a bright bolt struck Gannon's hand, causing him to cry out and drop his weapon. Realizing she was still alive, Princess Lana opened her eyes. Against the back wall, a warp zone opened up, surging with power. A familiar 'whoa!' echoed from it as the warp dropped none other than the Game Master himself sprawling onto the floor. 

"Kevin!" Lana cried, relieved, startled, and scared all at once. 

"WHAT?!" Gannondorf glanced back at her before focusing his attention on the newcomer. He was still holding his wrist, which was still smarting from the earlier blow. 

At the sound of the princess's voice, Kevin stood up immediately and looked around. In one corner, he saw Falcon and Pikachu piled in a heap, and by the throne, the princess knelt by Samus, with Gannondorf staring back at him. 

"I'm back!" Kevin let the words escape him as his mind slowly accepted where he was. 

"No!" Gannondorf hissed. "It's not possible!" 

"Gannon!" Kevin reached instinctively for his Zapper, but unfortunately found himself at a loss for it. "Oh no! My Zapper!" 

By this time, Gannondorf had recovered from his initial shock and powered up to attack. 

"YOU WILL NOT DEFEAT ME AGAIN, GAME MASTER!" he roared, firing a blast. 

"Whoa!" Kevin leapt out of the way of the tremendous projectile and rolled over to Lana's side. "Are you alright, princess?" 

"I'm alright," she replied. "but Gannondorf is trying to take over the throne!" 

"He won't while I'm here!" Kevin glared down the wizard. 

"Without your Zapper, YOU'RE NOTHING!!" Gannondorf fired again. There was no place to go. If Kevin dodged, Lana would be killed, and even if he managed to get Lana and himself out of the way, Samus would be helpless. 

A shot fired, sending Gannon's blast off course and into the throne. When Kevin and Lana looked up, they spotted Duke with the much-needed Zapper in his mouth. Somehow, the dog had managed to fire it and deflect the lethal shot. 

"Duke!" Kevin could hardly believe what he saw. "Good boy! Extra doggie treats for you! Definitely!" 

"WRETCHED MUTT!" the wizard screamed, swinging his weapon murderously at the dog. Duke dodged nimbly, as though he was playing a simple game of keep-away with the villain. 

"Over here! Duke!" Kevin called. "Quick! Bring me the Zapper, boy!" 

The dog raced over to his master and gave him the gun. Gannondorf took another swipe at the animal and scratched Duke slightly in the side. The dog yelped in pain as the blade wounded him. 

"Duke!" the game master screamed at the sight of his best friend's near miss. Fuming, Kevin took aim and fired furiously at Gannondorf. Though it was obviously not doing much damage, the shots were still enough to make the wizard flinch. The fiend sheathed his blade. 

"You haven't seen the last of me, Captain N!" Gannondorf shook his fist. "I'll come back, and when I do, that gun'll do you no good!" 

With that, Gannondorf left in a fury through a nearby warp zone. A groan stirred the silence of the room as Samus sat up dizzily and rubbed her head. 

"Oh…" she moaned. "What hit me?" 

"Samus, are you ok?" Kevin asked, offering a helping hand. 

The bounty huntress shook her head to clear her vision. She certainly didn't recognize the voice of the person talking to her, but if he was being friendly, what was the worry? After a moment, she finally looked up at him. 

"I've been better…" she replied, then suddenly recognized him. "Hey! Aren't you Captain N?!" 

"That's what everyone calls me!" Kevin smiled. 

"Oh wow! So YOU'RE the legendary game master!" Samus quickly stood up and shook his hand firmly. "I've heard so much about you! I'm honored to meet you!" 

"Aw, I'm not that great!" Kevin blushed. "I'm just good at what I do, and that's video games!" 

"Oh Kevin!" Princess Lana nearly pounced on him, hugging him tightly. "I missed you so much! I didn't know what to do without you!" 

"I missed you too, Princess." Kevin hugged her back. "Not a day went by without me thinking about you or the rest of the N-Team. Which reminds me… where is the N-Team?" 

"What, we're not good enough?" grumbled Captain Falcon as he picked himself up off the floor. 

"Captain Falcon?" Kevin blinked. 

"That's my name, don't wear it out!" the racer dusted himself off. 

"Wow, my hero from F-Zero!" Kevin extended his hand to shake Falcon's. "And you were great in Super Smash Brothers!" 

"Why thank you!" Falcon took Kevin's hand and shook. "So, you're the infamous Captain N. The Princess never stops talking about you!" 

A sad whimper distracted everyone from the friendly reunion. 

"Duke!" Kevin and the others knelt by the dog's side to look over his wound. "Are you alright, boy?" 

Duke whimpered softly, but licked his master's face to reassure him. The Princess rushed to the medical lab of the palace and returned with some cloths and bandages. In nearly no time, Duke was all patched up. 

"You'll be ok, boy," Kevin pet the dog gently. "But you're going to have to take it easy for awhile, ok?" 

The dog whimpered disappointedly, but acknowledged his master's words. He hated missing out on all the action, and until the injury healed, that's what he'd be doing. Seeing the sad look in Duke's eyes, Kevin pulled some of his best friend's favorite doggie biscuits out of his pocket and fed them to him. 

"Eat up, you deserve it, boy." said Kevin. 

Samus and Falcon had been taking care of Pikachu while Kevin and the Princess tended to Duke. Aside from a few nasty bumps and bruises, the pokémon was in good shape. The electric rodent stood up and moved in every way possible to make sure nothing was broken. He then hopped over to where Duke was to get a look at the newcomer. 

"Pikachu?" the pokémon twitched its ears inquisitively. Kevin just laughed warmly. 

"Wow, Videoland really has gotten quite the upgrade!" the game master smiled. "The Pokémon games are still popular back home!" 

Kevin reached out to pet the yellow mouse on the head, then suddenly remembered how this particular pocket monster was capable of packing an intense electrical whollop. Gulping nervously, he reached forward, this time, much more slowly. As his hand neared the animal, it stood up on its tiptoes and accepted his kindly gesture. 

"Cha…" the pokémon purred contently, an occasional, harmless spark escaping its cheeks. 

"Kevin…" came Lana's low, but serious voice. "We need to talk." 

The game master stood up, and seeing that Samus and Captain Falcon had the same, serious looks on their faces, he nodded. 

"I'm guessing this is about Gannondork back there." he said. 

"Yes," the princess replied. "We'll update you on what's been happening since you left." 

~~~~~~~~~~

How's this coming along? I certainly hope everyone is enjoying this. A few things I'd like to mention in case some of you are wondering. 

First of all, depending on the reviews that I get, I may or may not take Pikachu out of the picture. I know alot of people are sick of Pokémon nowadays, but because I wanted to bring in some other Nintendo characters, Pikachu just seemed like a reasonable idea. 

Secondly, if you're waiting for the old N-Team to make an appearance, I promise you that you won't be disappointed! I will be bringing them back in later chapters.

Finally, any other characters that I bring in may not all be Nintendo-specific (you know, they may be on games for other systems), but rest assured that anyone I do bring in will at least have had one game on a Nintendo system. (Original NES, Super NES, N64, Gamecube, you get the idea.)

As usual, if you liked it or hated it, please let me know! It helps me write faster! 


	3. Updates

**The Return of Captain N**

**Part 3**

"If Gannon got his butt kicked so badly during the Potion of Power ordeal," Kevin stared down the long table of gathered heroes, his voice serious with a hint of anger. "then how is he able to throw his weight around now?" 

"It's been many years since you left us, Kevin." the princess' voice was soft. "And in that time, Videoland has gone through a lot of changes." 

"First change was the Super Upgrade," explained Samus. "which expanded Videoland's borders more than we ever could have imagined! There were warps to worlds like none there have ever been." 

"Some of the pre-existing worlds were even changed." continued Captain Falcon. "Samus' home world, for example; from what I've heard,… uh… what's your name again?" 

"Kevin." The game master replied. "but my friends sometimes call me Kev." 

"Cool," Falcon nodded. "Anyway, from what I heard, you went to Metroid World pretty often. The changes that came during the Super Upgrade would make you wonder where the heck you were if you went there now!" 

"I believe it!" Kevin smirked. "On the consoles back home, the graphics just keep getting better and better!" 

"The Super Upgrade not only brought new worlds and heroes to Videoland, but new enemies as well…" said Lana. 

"Pika pika…" Pikachu's ears drooped. 

"Even old ones that'd been put out of action ages ago were rearing their ugly heads again." Samus added. 

"Like Gannon…" Kevin breathed. 

"Yes, but that's not where the story ends." the princess nodded. "Years later, Videoland went through the N Upgrade, and even more new faces and places emerged." 

"But what about Gannon?" Kevin politely cut in. "Wasn't Link around to deal with him?" 

"Link was keeping careful tabs on Gannon and his followers, making sure that they wouldn't start anything without his knowing about it. Even when things were quiet, Link always kept one eye on him." 

"So then how did he get this powerful?" 

"I'd like to know myself!" groaned a familiar voice. 

All heads turned towards the throne room archway to see Link, banged up and filthy. He clutched his right arm tightly and walked towards them with a heavy limp. Drying blood from a deep cut on his leg had bits of grass and mud stuck to it. His leggings were all but ripped to shreds. 

"Link!" Kevin rushed to the Hylian's side and let him lean on his shoulder. Steadily, they got to the table, with Link now resting in Kevin's chair. 

"Link! What happened!?" Lana and the others hurried over to patch up their friend. Link winced as pain streaked through his arm. 

"Two… words…" the Hylian managed to mutter. "BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIG… Moblins…" 

"Oh,… that's right…" Kevin recalled aloud. "In 'Ocarina of Time,' the Moblins got bigger, didn't they?" 

"OH yeah!" Link winced again as Samus moved his arm to scan him with her visor. 

"I've seen guys wreck on the track before," remarked Captain Falcon as he came up with a medical kit. "But they never come out in half of the bad shape you're in!" 

Link managed a weak smile. 

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" 

"Come on, Link." Kevin's tone was serious. "I've played 'Ocarina of Time' plenty of times. Why didn't you just stun them with a Bombchu then hit them from behind?" 

"Chu?" Pikachu blinked, confused. 

"Do you have any idea how many rupies those things cost?" the Hylian groaned. "Even if I did have the rupies for them, they're all sold out." 

"That's a drag…" Falcon muttered. 

"But even without the Bombchus, couldn't you have used the ice arrows?" the princess inquired. 

"It wasn't just the Moblins that got me like this…" Link coughed. "After the N Upgrade, I had my hands full dealing with some kid wearing a dangerous mask…" 

"Majora's mask!" Kevin cried. 

"Yes, please don't remind me…" Link sighed. "All those trips back in time are still making my head spin!" 

"Sorry." 

"No problem" 

"So I'm guessing that while you were taking care of that 'mask' problem, Gannon went unsupervised for awhile, huh?" Samus pulled off her helmet once she had finished scanning. 

"Exactly…" Link forced a weakened arm to lift up and wipe some sweat and mud off of his forehead. 

"Villains…" Falcon shook his head. "They're like little kids sometimes - turn your back for one lousy minute and they're already into all kinds of trouble!" 

They finished patching Link up and escorted him to one of the guest rooms to recuperate. The Hylian was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Afterwards, they all returned to the throne room to continue their discussion. 

"With Link all mangled up, that gives us a big handicap against Gannon." said Kevin. "We're definitely going to need help on this one. We're gonna need the old N-Team." 

"What!? We're not good enough?" Falcon's chair scraped against the floor as he stood up suddenly, enraged. 

"Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy there!" Kevin raised his hand defensively. "I didn't mean anything like that! I just meant-" 

"Sit down, Falcon." Samus nudged the racer with the end of her blaster, a bored tone to her voice. "What Kevin means to say is that the old N-Team's got experience in dealing with creeps like Gannon, so they could be a big help to our cause." 

"Right." Kevin nodded. "So we're going to have to call them all back here and kick that piggie's butt!" 

"I'm with ya all the way!" Samus grinned. 

"Me too, Kevin." The princess smiled. 

"Pika pikaaa!" the pokémon cheered. 

"I've gotta agree to this too, now, don't I?" Falcon mumbled. 

Everyone nodded. 

"Then I'm with ya!" 

"Then it's agreed. We'll pick up Megaman and Kid Icarus now, then stop by Castlevania first thing tomorrow morning." 

"Aw, don't tell me you're gonna drag that stuck-up vampire killer along for the ride!" Falcon grumbled. 

Thinking back to his games back home, Kevin snickered. _"If he keeps that up in front of Simon, he'll be crying 'bloody tears.'"_

"You're lucky we're dragging YOU'RE loud-mouth with us, Falcon!" Samus nudged him a little harder with her blaster. "So I'd be quiet if I were you!" 

"Pi…kachu!" Pikachu nodded. 

Lana and the others could not help but laugh, and reluctantly, Captain Falcon joined in as well. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for not updating in so long, but college has me with my nose constantly in the books. I also want to apologize for this chapter not having much action in it; the inspiration fountain's been kinda dry lately, and school is like a sponge right under the barely-dripping spout.

Just in case you didn't get the "bloody tears" joke, I'll explain. In the Castlevania series, "Vampire Killer" and "Bloody Tears" are the names of two background music themes that have appeared in all, if not most, of the Castlevania games. Just figured I'd mention that.

As usual, whether you liked it or hated it, please let me know! The inspiration fountain really needs to get flowing again! Help!


End file.
